The Ties That Bind
by sleepy1177
Summary: How far are you willing to go to protect the one you love? Non canon, OOC
1. Chapter 1

She walks through what seems to be a maze of endless corridors and rooms with her focus singly on her destination. She's aware of the numerous stares she's receiving and she doesn't care. She has to talk to him. She has to know why he chose to follow the woman who tried to not only overthrow the government, but to also eliminate an entire population just because she was afraid of what she didn't know. Above all else, she needs to know why he never breathed a word about what he was involved in to her.

She opens the heavy door leading to the prison and walks inside with an outward appearance of confidence. They've made her a leader, and even though she's certain that people would like to rescind that appointment now that she's drawn her lines in the sand.

"Ma'am, I have to get your information and assign a visitors badge." A guard calls out as she walks past.

"You know exactly who I am and you also know who I'm here to see. Don't waste my time." She says angrily.

"Yes ma'am, um I can escort you back." He replies.

She keeps walking, making the nervous guard almost jog to catch up to her. She abruptly stops walking and turns to face him.

"I know you have to observe, but you can give us a bit of privacy." She says calmly.

"Yes ma'am. He's four cells down on the left. I'll wait right here."

She walks to the cell he specified and stands in front of it.

"You lied to me." She says firmly as she looks at the man on the other side of the bars.

His cot is strained against his large body and the clothes he's wearing are stained with dried blood from the struggle he put up in the efforts to capture him. His usually perfectly styled hair is disheveled, and the curls he tries so hard to tame are on full display.

"I never lied to you; I just didn't tell you things. That's different." He argues.

"Omission is a lie too!" She yells.

"If that is your definition it means you lied too." He replies as he stands up and walks towards where she stands, on the other side of the metal bars separating them.

"That's your answer Eric? You are going to just gloss over the fact that you were helping a mad woman commit a fucking genocide?" She spits.

"I was following orders." He argues weakly. "I didn't know Tris."

"You didn't know _what_? That murdering innocent people is wrong? Or that wiping out an entire faction using mind controlling serums wasn't ok?" Tris yells.

This is why Four warned her against going there to see Eric. He'd been warning her about Eric all throughout her initiation. He told her that Eric was an Erudite plant, that he was put in place to hunt and kill divergents and that he was just as sadistic as Jeanine Matthews. He told her that once Eric found out what she was he would kill her.

Tris didn't believe him, and yet she never told Eric about her divergence. She thought Four was just jealous.

Eric, the same cruel leader who tormented her throughout her training, the same angry man who hung her best friend over the chasm and who ordered knives thrown at Tris when she was insubordinate was a different person behind closed doors.

It started as harmless flirting, although being from Abnegation made it very hard for Tris to even understand that the youngest Dauntless leader was in fact flirting with her. Eric would often catch the Abnegation transfer in the training room after hours and instead of punishing her for being out after curfew he instead began to help her to get stronger and better. He wanted Tris to stay in Dauntless, and at first she had no idea why.

Tris learned a lot about Eric in the time they spent together training. He was extremely intelligent and he was dedicated to making the initiates the strongest soldiers he could. He was passionate about his work and he had high expectations of himself and others. He hid his insecurities well, just like she did, but for some reason they were comfortable exposing them to each other.

Their first kiss was unexpected but not unwanted and when the leader who was well known for his "womanizing ways" actually asked for permission to kiss her she was shocked. Eric had a reputation that Tris later found was almost completely false. It was assumed that he whored around and slept with anything that moved, but in reality while he may have done some public making out while he was under the influence he was fairly inexperienced sexually. He'd received oral sex on occasion, and he'd had only three sexual partners before her and not the multitude that people assumed.

If Tris were to tell anyone that Eric confessed his love for her before they'd ever been intimate no one would believe it. He wasn't known to be an affectionate or loving man, the tough leader shell was all people knew of him and he didn't mind at all. He actually had only a few close friends who saw past his persona and enjoyed his company. Eric cooked for Tris, he would massage her sore muscles after long hours of training and physical fights, and they would often spend their evenings curled around each other while he read one of his many books out loud. Even though neither of them were virgins when they began seeing each other, they didn't rush into a physical relationship. Tris was honest with Eric about the sexual relationship she'd had with Four while they were both in Abnegation, and while it caused some pretty severe jealousy on his part once he knew, he managed to find a way to deal with it when she pointed out that he also had a past as well and she was not judging him for it.

This was the Eric behind closed doors that Tris always wished people could know.

"Tris, I didn't know. I'm telling you the truth now. She and Max beat it into our heads that divergents were this awful thing that needed to be destroyed before they destroyed us. They were the enemy. That's all I knew." He sighs.

"I was the enemy?" She asks.

"I didn't know you were one! If you had of told me I'd have a whole different opinion!" He shouts and she steps away from the bars. He puts his hands through and reaches for her. "Please, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry for all of this. Tris I didn't fucking know and I hate myself for it now. I was following orders."

"I watched you shoot a man point blank Eric, just because he was awake during the simulation." She says, not caring that her voice is rising.

"I know Tris. You heard Max tell me to shoot him. You heard him." He replies while hanging his head.

"If I hadn't of played along would you have shot me too?" She finally asks.

Eric's jaw drops a bit and he just stares at her. It's almost as if this thought never once occurred to him and Tris can see the conflict written plainly across his face.

"Tris, no… you have to know I would never hurt you…" He stops talking and looks at the floor.

"They want to execute you." She replies.

"I deserve it." He says quietly while resting his head against the bars. "I love you." He whispers.

Her resolve is breaking. She doesn't see him as a cold blooded murderer, she sees him as a confused twenty one year old who thought he was doing the right thing by following the orders of the superiors that he trusted. He's the youngest leader ever to rise to power in Dauntless and he worked his ass off to prove he deserved to be there. He's not the killing machine that the surviving members of their faction make him out to be. He's human and he's made mistakes, grievous mistakes, but he feels guilt for them.

People would probably assume that it's only the soft and gentle Eric that she loves, and their assumptions would be wrong. While she does love who he is when it's just the two of them, she also loves everything else about him, including his faults. She may hate what he has done, but it will never stop her from loving who he is.

"Let me in with him." Tris commands the guard who is sitting several cells down from them.

"No can do, I have strict orders from Four that he has no contact." The guard replies.

"I'm a leader too, just like Four, and I am commanding you to let me in to see my prisoner. Now." She growls.

"Whatever, I'm not getting in the middle of a pissing contest between two leaders." He grumbles as he unlocks the cell door. Tris walks inside and immediately embraces Eric.

"I'm so sorry." He whispers against her and she nods her head.

"I know." She replies.

Eric leads her to his cot where they lie down together. They wrap around each other like they've done so many times before. This is the man she loves. He's not a monster.

"I won't let them kill you."

"How will you stop them? There are three Dauntless leaders and two want me executed." He breathes against her hair. "That doesn't even take into consideration Candor, Amity or Abnegation. Tris, there's no way your father will vote to allow me to live. I participated in an attempt to not only overthrow his government but also eliminate his faction."

"It has to be unanimous, if the other leaders leave it up to Dauntless at least, for us to execute you and they won't ever get me to go along with that." She replies.

"Maybe you should..." He begins but Tris doesn't let him speak.

"If you're going to try to rationalize why you should die you need to stop right now. I am going to ask that you go under truth serum, so you need to tell me everything right now Eric. I need to know what I'm up against here. Do not leave anything out." She replies.

She can feel his body tensing next to her and she runs her fingers through his hair and along his scalp in an attempt to relax him a bit.

"Do you still love me?" He asks softly.

"Of course I do. I have to know everything though." She replies.

"Please, just say the words." He replies.

"Eric, I love you." She whispers and she sighs against him.

"I don't know where to start." He mumbles. "You're going to hate me."

"Tell me everything." She urges and he takes a deep breath and begins.

There isn't a defining moment in the story when Eric decided between good and evil, there isn't actually a choice at all. Eric knew some things about the war, but it's obvious from his explanation that he didn't know everything. Orders were issued, and in Dauntless you didn't have a choice on whether or not to follow orders, you did as your superior commanded.

Eric had doubts along the way, but he didn't have anyone he felt he could talk about them with. He would have loved to have told Tris, but how does one explain to their then initiate girlfriend that their faction was not only participating in a coup to overthrow the government, they were doing so by mind controlling their own citizens.

He was afraid if he did tell her she would leave him.

He's strong physically; he's a tough and formidable leader. He's hard on the initiates because he wants nothing but the strongest in Dauntless. He's brilliant with a mastery of strategy and planning, but matters of the heart were unchartered territory for him.

Until she came along.

He doesn't believe in love at first sight, but the Abnegation woman who ripped her skirt off and jumped first down the rabbit hole threw the stoic leader for a loop. She didn't have the same features that some of the Abnegation that Eric had seen all seemed to share. Her hair was light brown, her skin tan and her eyes green. She wasn't the frail looking dependent that was typical in a faction that views even eating a normal portion as selfish, she instead had curves and muscle tone. It was obvious to Eric that this woman had found a way to train well before she ever jumped onto their roof.

She may have caught his interest, but it didn't turn romantic until he found her after hours training. He found her determination and defiance attractive, and he began to train with her to make her stronger.

When he found out she wasn't a virgin it didn't upset him because he wasn't one himself. What bothered him was the relationship she carried on with Four while the two were in Abnegation, and they continued to carry on when he'd sneak out of the compound to train her. Four and Eric were never friends, both entirely too competitive to ever get to know the other, and Eric too singly focused on becoming a leader. Eric found out that Tris had ended things almost six months before she transferred to Dauntless because she was determined to make it in on her own merit and not because she was Four's girlfriend. She also couldn't say she loved him no matter how many times he'd say it to her.

Four never got over their breakup. Eric knew that the instructor was pining for the girl he left behind in Abnegation, but he didn't know it was Tris until it was too late. It wouldn't have stopped him, but he was determined to make Tris believe that his interest in her had nothing to do with Four.

They were happy. For almost the entirety of Tris' eight month initiation and training Eric and she were a couple and no one was the wiser. Even Four, who spent all of initiation warning her to be careful of Eric had no clue that his ex-girlfriend and bitter rival were not only together, but in a committed and loving relationship. In the four months since the training portion of initiation ended, Tris and Eric's relationship only got stronger and their commitment to each other deeper. She was an official member once training had ended, although all initiates spent the last four months of their first year in Dauntless on probationary terms. They were members, but one infraction could cause their membership to be revoked on the spot and them to become factionless. Even though during this probationary period it was perfectly acceptable for Eric and Tris to be involved in a public relationship, they continued to keep it quiet at her request. They were days away from the probationary period ending when all hell broke loose and their faction went to war.

It wasn't until they had captured and arrested Eric did anyone find out there was anything between Tris and him. When Tori had argued that they just execute him on the spot instead of turning him over to Candor the small group of Dauntless cheered. They had Eric on his knees with his hands zip tied behind his back when Tris threw herself in front of him and refused to move when Four had his gun pointed at her.

She said it then and she says it now. He is not a monster.

"I'm sorry Tris." He whispers.

"I know you are." She whispers back.

They hear a disturbance in the hallway outside of his cell but neither move.

"What the fuck is this? I said he was to have no contact. Did you not fucking understand my direct order?" Four shouts at the guard.

"Yes sir, however another leader overruled. I shouldn't be put in a position where I have to decide which leader is right or wrong, sir." The guard answers.

"Get her out of there." He commands and they hear the jingling of keys.

"No. I'm not leaving him." Tris replies defiantly.

"He's a murderer." Four argues. Tris unwraps herself from Eric's embrace and approaches the bars that separate her from Four.

"So am I." She spits. "So are you."

"We killed in the name of war Tris..." Four begins but she cuts him off.

"So did he! He followed the orders he was given. He didn't have a choice either." She replies angrily.

"Tris." Eric whispers. She feels his arms wrap around her waist and his breath on her neck. "It's ok. I love you." He says softly. He presses his lips to the bare skin of her neck. "I love you so much." He whispers.

"I won't leave him. For as long as he's locked in this cage I'm here with him. He needs a trial with truth serum. That's what my vote is, and if you and Tori can't get on board with that then you might as well execute both of us." Tris demands.

"Tris..." Four begins.

"No, I won't argue about this and I won't back down. He did things, terrible things and he feels guilt for them. Look at him for fucks sake. He's a human being. He's the man I love." Tris pleads.

"You love a man who shot someone point blank for being exactly what _you_ are Tris?" Four hisses.

"I love a man who thought he was doing the best thing he could do to protect his city. I love everything about him, even his faults, because he's a good person who made a terrible mistake." Tris replies.

Eric tightens his grip on her and she leans back into his embrace. "I love you too Eric." She says softly and presses a kiss to his jaw.

Four stares incredulously at Tris and Eric. How the hell can she just forgive him for the atrocities that he was a willing participant in? He didn't realize he was vocalizing his inner thoughts until he hears Tris speak again.

"I forgive him because he's not the monster you and everyone else make him out to be." Tris says angrily.

"Tris please just come out of there and talk to Tori and me." Four says evenly.

"You know what my vote is already. Just leave me alone." Tris says firmly.

"Tris, you don't get a vote." Four finally says firmly.

Tris angrily launches towards the bars that separate her from her ex. "You can't do that Four, you can't take away my vote. I'm a leader too!" She shouts.

"Tris, I didn't take your vote away, Jack Kang did. You didn't think it was important to tell anyone that you are _married_ to him? Were you ashamed Tris? Is that why instead of getting married in your own faction you came to Candor to have Jack marry you in secret?" Four spits.

Eric feels Tris tremble against him. Their getting married certainly wasn't a decision made lightly, but it wasn't planned when he asked Tris to accompany him on an unscheduled trip to interrogate a prisoner in Candor. Tris was in training to be a faction Ambassador, and Jack Kang had taken an immediate liking to the spirited Abnegation transfer so he had personally requested that Tris be assigned to Candor once her training was over. Eric brought Tris with him as a training exercise, and later when the three were talking causally in Jack's office Eric did something he'd never imagined doing, he asked Tris to marry him on the spot. In the back of his mind he knew the war was coming, and when all was said and done he wanted Tris to be with him. He wanted her to know that he loved her with all of his being, even though he was going to be forced to become someone he's not.

"I would never be ashamed of marrying Eric. I asked that we keep it quiet until after I was off of my probationary period. I didn't want anyone to believe I had married him to keep myself in Dauntless." Tris answered.

"What were you thinking? That has to be the most idiotic thing you've ever done Beatrice. You married someone you know nothing about. He probably only married you so you couldn't testify against him for all the shit he's done." Four spits.

"Enough!" Eric shouts, causing Tris to jump and Four to stop his relentless pacing in front of his cell. "You're right, she didn't know everything about me, nor did I know everything about her. We hid the parts of ourselves that we thought would hurt or endanger the other. At the end of the day it's up to us to forgive each other, not you or anyone else. I love Tris more than fucking anything and I married her for that reason. I married her because I want to live my life with her. Don't punish her for being my wife. She knew _nothing_ about my orders or involvement in this shit."

"So, when you married her you never thought about how it would essentially trap her? It never crossed your mind that it'd be much harder for her to _leave_ you if she was married to you when the shit hit the fan? You never thought to yourself 'hey, a war is coming that I'm a willing participant in, maybe I should go ahead and get her to marry me now before she sees who I really am and hates me'?" Four spits.

"That's a very narrow minded way of looking at it Four. Of course I knew the war was coming when I married her. I also knew that there was a chance that she'd not understand my involvement in it. I didn't even understand my involvement in it. I didn't marry her to trap her into anything." Eric answers.

"Do you think so little of me? Do you think I'm not capable of discerning between real love and when someone is using me for their benefit?" Tris asks Four angrily.

"He's a great actor. He almost had everyone fooled Tris, even you." Four replies.

"I love her and I married her because of that. Believe whatever you want." Eric finally says to Four before turning away from him.

"You disgust me." Four spits at Eric. Eric turns slowly to face the other man and Tris takes in a sharp breath before wrapping her arms around her husband. She's waiting for the fire she's seen time and time again when words aren't enough between these two men.

"That makes two of us then." Eric says quietly. Tris' heart is breaking at the vulnerability in his voice.

There is no way for Four to hide the shock on his face at Eric's unexpected reply. He watches as Tris whispers in Eric's ear and runs her hands up and down his back. Eric has no hold on her. It's quite obvious to see that it's actually the opposite; she has a hold on him. He truly does love her, and Four is completely thrown when he realizes that Eric sincerely seems to feel guilt for what he's done.

"I'll talk to Tori." Four says quietly, feeling almost intrusive at this point.

Tris' watery eyes finally meet his. "Thank you." She whispers.

Four nods, knowing that if he were to actually speak right now every emotion he'd ever felt for her would come pouring out. He didn't lose Tris to Eric because he now knows she was never his to lose. She gives herself to Eric in a way she's never been able to with Four, and he knows this moment he's witnessing is what will help him find closure and move on. He watches as Tris runs her fingers through Eric's hair and continues to whisper comforting words to him as he finally allows himself to relax into her arms.

"Tris, do you want to come with me when I talk to her?" He finally asks.

She shakes her head. "I trust you. My place is here with him, he's my husband and I won't leave him."

Four looks at her one last time before turning away. As he approaches the guard desk he pauses and turns towards the other man.

"She has any and all access she needs to him." Four commands and the guard nods at him.

"Yes sir."

Four walks out of the door to go find Tori. He wonders if he can change her mind. The better question may be _should_ he change her mind?

He's never liked Eric, and it's not just because of Tris. Hell, he never even knew that Eric and Tris were together until she jumped in front of a loaded gun in an attempt to save his life. He knows that he just witnessed the other man showing true guilt for what he's done, but is that guilt because he got caught? How long would he have kept on killing had they not captured him in Candor? Would he have killed his own wife if Jeanine had issued the order? Did he know that Jeanine was after Tris?

That last thought makes him stop dead in his tracks. Could it be possible that Eric married Tris to ultimately bring her to Jeanine?

These are questions he needs answers to and the only way he will get complete honesty from Eric is if they allow him to go under truth serum. He knows that Tori wants him executed without a trial, and she has successfully convinced many other faction leaders to go along with her wishes. There's one leader he knows will want a trial so he begins walking in that direction. He mentally prepares himself and then takes a deep breath before knocking on Jack Kang's office door.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for all the support for this story, I appreciate all of your reviews, favorites and follows.**

The silence in the room is almost deafening and Four is having a hard time maintaining eye contact with the intimidating Candor leader. Jack Kang is known to be absolutely by the books, and he rarely finds any grey area when it comes to maintaining the law in the city of Chicago. He leans forward in his chair and rests his forearms on his desk as he trails his almost black eyes on Four.

"Four, I want to ensure I understand exactly what it is you are asking for here. I've already had many of the faction leaders express their disgust and anger about Eric Coulter's involvement in this war. He was part of a raid on my headquarters that killed many members of my faction. We already have more than enough votes for his execution, including your own, and yet you sit before me asking for a trial. What has changed?" Jack asks.

Four takes a breath in knowing it's impossible to lie to a Candor, and even more so in the case of Jack Kang. He meets his dark eyes and decides to go with as much honesty as he can spare.

"I am not sure how much he knew about the cause he ended up tangled in. I'm afraid that everyone wants someone to blame, and Eric happens to be the only one of Jeanine's team we could catch due to his injuries. I feel if we execute him for no other reason other than to make an example we may not be serving justice. He could have answers, or insight as to what Jeanine's plans are, and I feel like we all have questions that only he can answer." Four explains.

"I see. You do realize if we find him guilty execution will still be my recommended punishment, correct?" Jack asks.

"Yes, I do. I'm not sure of his innocence or guilt Jack, because we have seen him kill people for what appears to be no reason at all. If we look at the black and white of his actions then execution is our only choice, however I need to know why he did the things he did. I'd like to see if there is a grey area when it comes to him." Four replies.

"Is this because of Tris Coulter?" He asks bluntly.

"Not entirely, no. Tris is a leader but she knows she cannot vote because of their marriage. I feel like we at least owe it to her to put him under the truth serum. She needs to know why he did the things he did and hopefully she can find some peace with the court's decision." Four answers honestly. He is so torn on why he's even showing any mercy at all towards Eric, but he knows he cannot put a bullet in the man's head knowing what it will do to Tris. They all need answers.

"I appreciate your honesty and I find myself agreeing with your logic. We don't have much insight as to what Jeanine or Max had planned and our only source of information is sitting right under my lock and key. I will make the executive order to put Eric on trial. I will make the announcement and give everyone two hours from the time of the announcement to gather. It will be an open forum so I will be allowing any member of leadership to ask him questions while he is under the truth serum." Jack replies.

"Even Tris?" Four asks.

"Yes, even Tris, however I need you to warn her that she will need to keep her questions on topic." He replies.

"I will do that, thank you Jack." Four says as he extends his hand to shake with the older man. Jack firmly grips and shakes his hand.

"This will not be a popular decision, so prepare for backlash once this announcement goes out. Especially from Tori Wu, she is adamant that Eric is executed on the spot and she's currently leading the charge to have that happen." Jack says.

"Yes, this I know. Jack, out of curiosity have you spoken with any of the Abnegation leadership?" Four inquires.

"Are you asking specifically about your father? Or perhaps Tris' father?" Jack asks.

"More so Andrew Prior, however I'd be curious to know what Marcus' thoughts are too. I may hate the bastard, but he still is the head of the government." Four shrugs.

"Andrew also did not know that his daughter was married to our only suspect in custody. As you could probably imagine, that did not go over well." Jack answers vaguely.

"They tried to destroy their entire faction. It's basically inhabitable at this point, so while all of the factions have been impacted by this I'd venture to say Abnegation has one of the strongest voices when it comes to how we handle things." Four presses.

"I know what you're doing." Jack says with a slight scowl, however he continues. "Marcus is calling for the execution. Andrew had not made a decision even prior to knowing of his daughter's involvement with Eric. Andrew is a fair man, and he believes in faction before blood, so I know whatever vote he casts will be well thought out."

"He doesn't want his vote to be based on emotion." Four replies and Jack nods his head.

"No, he doesn't. He also knows Jeanine personally from their time in Erudite together. He said she is one of the most manipulative and heartless people he's ever known." Jack adds. "I should make the announcement."

"Yes, my apologies for monopolizing your time." Four says as he stands to leave.

"Nonsense, I appreciate the intrusion. You are wise beyond your years Four, and I know this leadership position was practically forced upon you due to the dire circumstances within your faction. Trust your instinct, it will take you far. I'll see you in two hours." Jack replies as he shakes the younger man's hand.

Four leaves the office and heads back to the prison knowing that he should at least break the news to Eric and Tris before looking for Tori. Emotions are running high with his fellow leader, especially since Eric happened to fall in line with the same group who'd killed her brother George. Eric certainly didn't pull the trigger, he still an Erudite dependent when George was killed, but his alliance with Jeanine placed him directly in Tori's crosshairs.

He walks past the guard desk and shares a nod with the duty clerk before being escorted to the cells. He can hear the quiet conversation between Eric and Tris, and even though he knows he shouldn't eavesdrop he can't seem to help himself.

"I wish you had of told me." Eric says quietly.

"I was always told that being divergent was dangerous and I shouldn't tell anyone. My parents didn't even know. The day I took the aptitude test I had to pretend to be sick." Tris explains.

"I had no idea what a divergent really was. She'd tell us these stories about how they were a being that couldn't be contained or controlled. They had no loyalty and their sole purpose was to destroy the faction system. She would tell us how they'd go on rampages because their fears of being stuck inside the walls would manifest into urges to kill their way to the outside. So, I had the fear mongering aspect of the unknown enemy outside the wall, plus the added fear of these volatile beings _inside_ the wall with us. She made us believe that divergents were these _things_ that were hell-bent on destroying the rest of us." Eric explains. "It sounds so fucking ridiculous. I don't know how I could fall for it."

"You didn't know anything different than what you were told. You've probably been exposed to more divergents than just me and you've never known." Tris says.

"I should have asked questions Tris. I should have forced her to explain her entire plan." He argues.

"By doing what Eric, questioning the authority of the highest leader of the faction known for their scholar and brilliance? Or, questioning your own superior?" Tris asks. "You know that there are punishments in place for accusing a leader of a crime, do you think that your questioning of these plans would have gone unnoticed?"

"I should have just left." He sighs.

"You would have left me?" She asks.

"God no, I'd have taken you with me." He replies. "Damn, that sounds pretty shitty doesn't it? I'd just have expected you to leave your home for the unknown without an explanation."

"Eric, you can't change the past. All you can do is let them hear the truth from you." Tris explains.

"What if that's not enough Tris? What if they hear everything I've done and they still vote for execution? I don't care about myself it's you I care about. I can't stand the thought of what this is doing to you. I never thought it'd get this far. I didn't know what she was capable of. Tris, I'm so sorry baby." He says as his voice begins to break. Tris sees something she'd never imagined seeing from Eric when tears begin to slowly trail down his cheeks and on to the pillow they're sharing.

"Please don't cry." Tris is trying to be strong for him but his tears break her. "I love you Eric and I believe you. I believe _in_ you too. You made a mistake."

"I love you too Tris. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you any of this, I thought what I was doing was protecting you and everyone else. I had no idea she had me attacking people like you." Eric says.

"I know. You don't have to convince me because I know you. This isn't who you are." She replies quietly.

Four can hear the sounds of the two crying and he feels he should leave and let them have their moment, but he wants to at least let them know about Jack's decision to put Eric on trial. Once the two are finally quiet Four makes his presence known. He walks closer to the cell and clears his throat. Eric and Tris both turn their heads to look at him.

"I talked to Jack." Four says to the couple. "He's made an executive order to put Eric on trial."

Tris walks over to the bars and stands in front of Four. "Thank you." She says quietly. Eric watches the two interact from his seat on the uncomfortable cot.

Four nods in response and he and Tris hold each other's gaze for longer than Eric is comfortable with. His jealousy is something he's never had much control over, even though he is a master of burying almost all of his other outward emotions. He stands up and walks over to his wife and puts an arm around her.

"You should go eat." Eric says to Tris and she shakes her head.

"I'm not leaving you." She argues.

"I'll stay here with him." Four offers. "Go eat, shower, do whatever you need to do. I can stay."

Tris looks at Four warily and then turns her attention to Eric. He's got his mask on, she's seen it time and time again but she knows that below his stoic expression he's burying something. She reaches for his face and makes him turn to look at her. He smiles slightly but the storm brewing in his grey eyes worries her.

"It's fine if he stays." Eric says quietly. Tris searches his face for his true emotion but he's successfully blocking everything. He leans down and brushes his lips to hers. "I'm telling the truth." He whispers against her lips before kissing her.

Four unlocks the cell and steps aside so Tris can exit. Once he has the door closed and locked again she reaches through the bars and grasps on to Eric's hands.

"I'll be back soon. I love you." She says.

"I love you too." Eric replies. He holds her hands as long as he can as she reluctantly slips away. He and Four watch as she walks down the hall and finally out of the heavy doors. Eric sighs before turning back towards his cot and sitting down. He rests his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

Four grabs a folding metal chair and sets it up outside of the cell. He sits down and looks at Eric, whose usual glare has been replaced with a much softer look. He's still not sure what to think about the other man, but there are questions he knows he can't ask during his trial. He takes a chance when he begins speaking.

"How'd you two happen?" Four asks. Eric looks up with a curious expression.

"What?" He asks.

"You and Tris, how'd the two of you get together?" Four clarifies.

Eric shifts on his cot and looks directly at Four. "I know about the two of you." He says.

"I'm sure you do. Tris isn't one to keep secrets." Four says with an edge of anger in his voice.

"Except her divergence." Eric replies coldly. He sighs and shakes his head. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

"No, it's not." Four agrees.

"Did you know she is divergent?" Eric asks.

"It became obvious during her fear sims." He answers carefully.

"You protected her from me." Eric sighs.

"I did." Four replies. He watches as Eric drops his head back down to his hands.

The two sit in uncomfortable silence, neither man in a hurry to be the first to speak. Four is trying to see what it is that Tris loves about the rough man in front of him even though he's ready to get up and walk away at this point. He finally decides to try a different approach.

"Tris and I got together when she was thirteen and I was fifteen. We were together four years."

Eric finally looks up; his curiosity peaked at the other man's openness. He gestures with his hand for Four to continue.

"Life in Abnegation is different as you're well aware. She and I grew up together and at one point her brother was my closest friend." He replies.

"The same brother that is working for Jeanine?" Eric asks.

"Yeah, Caleb. You never really know someone, do you?" Four asks sarcastically. "Anyway, Tris and I were young and both being smothered by the restrictions and expectations of our faction. We gravitated towards each other. The older we got, the more evident it became that we weren't exactly well suited for each other. She was a piece of home that I held on to for dear life, and I was living a life in Dauntless that she was longing to have. Tris was there for me for some of the lowest parts of my life, I mean you've seen my fear landscape."

Eric nods. He has watched Four's fear landscape repeatedly since becoming a leader for many reasons. One was because he was insanely jealous that the Stiff from Abnegation only had four fears and he wanted to know what they were and how exactly he could get through them so quickly. The other was because Jeanine was convinced that Four was divergent and she wanted Eric to prove it to her. As much as he disliked Four, he never once considered that he was divergent. He wasn't the evil being that Jeanine described, he was just a dark and moody bastard who had a penchant for getting under Eric's skin.

"I didn't know who she was to you when I began to pursue her." Eric says.

"Considering I never even knew you were pursuing her, I can believe that. Knowing you, had you known about the past between Tris and me you would have taken every opportunity to flaunt your relationship in my face." Four replies and Eric actually chuckles.

"Well, I did find out about the two of you early on and I didn't flaunt it. Give me some credit." Eric replies.

"So, now you know our history, tell me how the two of you ended up married. How did this happen?" Four asks. Eric doesn't see any malice with the other man; surprisingly he only sees genuine curiosity.

"I caught her in the training room after hours the first week she was here. I liked her determination so I started training with her." Eric replies.

"You helped a Stiff the first week? You didn't threaten to throw her into the chasm?" Four asks with a smirk.

Eric smiles before answering. "She wasn't what I expected. She was driven and hell she was too defiant to ever be considered a Stiff."

"So when you hung one of her best friends from the chasm you two were together?" Four asks.

"Well, yeah I guess we were at least starting _something_ at that point." Eric chuckles. "Although she didn't speak to me for two days after that stunt."

"I can imagine that the knives went over just as well." Four jabs.

"Yeah, although instead of the silent treatment she cornered me on the roof and gave me a piece of her mind." Eric replies.

"I never had the first clue the two of you were together." Four shakes his head.

"That's how it had to be. If anyone found out I was involved with her it'd have cost me my leadership and potentially even made me factionless. She'd definitely be factionless, and I cared about her entirely too much to let something happen to her just because I couldn't follow the rules." Eric replies.

"So, you two were together all throughout training?" Four asks and Eric nods. "When did you get married?"

"Jack called me a little over two months ago for some help interrogating a prisoner he had here, it was a former Dauntless who had become factionless had been caught trying to break into Candor HQ. Jack was fond of Tris from the moment he met her, and he'd asked that once she was finished with her Ambassador training that she be assigned to Candor. I brought her with me that day as a training exercise and while I was interrogating the prisoner she shadowed Jack. After I had finished, I met the two of them in his office for lunch and we were just talking. Jack being unfiltered as usual asked the two of us what our relationship was and it kind of went from there. I asked her if she'd marry me right then and she agreed, and Jack performed the ceremony right in his office."

Four shakes his head. "I never imagined you were the type to settle down."

"I'm not that much different than you." Eric says and Four scoffs.

"Not that much different? How can you even say that? You _killed_ people Eric, just because you were told they were divergent. You can't tell me that we're the same because I _know_ the difference between right and wrong." He says.

"Its easy for you to say that right now because you weren't in my shoes. You know that we are soldiers and we are trained to follow our orders without question. I had orders from Max and I followed them." Eric replies.

"You killed people Eric, innocent people." Four argues.

"I killed people who I was led to believe were out to hurt our city. I followed the orders of my superiors and I did what I was trained to do. Look, ask me whatever you want when I'm under the serum Four. I'm not lying to you now, but I want you to believe me when I answer your questions." Eric says evenly.

Four looks at Eric for several seconds before finally asking one of the harder questions. "Did you know that Jeanine wanted her?"

Eric looks at Four and then back down at the floor. He doesn't say anything and Four presses. "It's going to come out during your trial later and there will be nothing you can do about it at that point. Tris will be there for your trial, and she will be permitted to ask you questions although I've been told to warn her to keep it professional. It's an open forum trial; you're going to be questioned from any faction leader."

The heavy prison doors open and the moment is broken when Tris walks in. Her hair is wet from her shower and she's dressed casually in ripped black jeans and a grey tank top. Eric is immediately standing at the bars looking for his wife. Tris looks back and forth between the two men and she furrows her eyebrows.

"Is everything ok here?" She asks.

"Yeah, we were just talking. I'm going to give you two some privacy. I need to go find Tori anyway." Four says as he unlocks the cell door and lets Tris in. He closes it behind her and before he can walk away he sees Eric's hand extended through the bars.

"Thank you." Eric says. Four takes his hand and shakes it.

"Good luck." Four says before walking out of the prison.

They allow Eric to shower and provide a change of clothes before his trial. Once he's back in his cell and standing in just his boxers Tris takes her time cleaning each of his open wounds, examining them carefully to ensure none need stitches or appear to be infected. Eric watches Tris as she works and he realizes that this may be the last time they're together like this.

"Hey, they don't even hurt. I'm fine." He says as he tries to get her to look at him. When she refuses to meet his eyes he realizes she's crying. "Baby…" He whispers as he pulls her into his arms.

"Coulter, time's up." The guard calls from outside his cell. "Get dressed, they're ready for you."

Once Eric is dressed he and Tris are given only minutes to say their goodbyes before being separated.

"I love you. No matter what comes out please remember that." Eric says before kissing Tris deeply.

"I love you too. You _will_ come back to me." She replies. They are kissing again when the guard bangs on the bars of his cell.

"Time to go." The guard announces as he unlocks the door. Eric grabs Tris' hands and holds them until he's physically separated from her. Another guard escorts Tris away from the prison and once the heavy door has shut behind her she steels all of her emotions and makes her way to the courtroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Tris walks into the courtroom holding her head up high. She can feel the eyes of all of the other faction leaders on her as she takes her seat next to Four and Tori. The older leader makes no attempt to hide her disgust with Tris. Four turns towards Tris and offers her a small smile and she looks away. She catches the hazel eyes of her father from across the room and her heart races. Instead of the disappointment she expects to see on his face she sees a sympathetic expression. His eyes are soft and there isn't the first bit of anger or disappointment on his face.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Tori hisses from the other side of Four. Tris takes a deep breath and shakes her head slightly.

"Tori, this isn't the time." Four whispers.

"It's the only time. She's been hiding out in his cell ever since he was arrested." She whispers back.

"You'll be able to interrogate him soon." Tris finally whispers back.

"While I look forward to hearing what that bastard has to say for himself I really need to know what on earth you were doing with him. How much did you know Tris?" Tori asks.

"I know that he's not a monster and I know that I love him." Tris replies.

"You love a murderer. You love someone who was conspiring to kill people from your home faction. Your parents Tris! You are just going to keep your head buried in the sand?" Tori spits.

Tris turns to face her former mentor and friend. "I am under no fucking obligation to defend my decisions, my life, my marriage or my love for my husband to you. If you have an issue with me, deal with it. If you don't like the decisions I've made in my life, I don't give a fuck. I will love him no matter what I hear today because I trust him. So you can leave me the hell alone." Tris replies fiercely.

Tori glares at Tris before finally turning away from her. Four leans forward a bit to shield Tris from the stares and dirty looks of some of the other faction leaders.

"Good afternoon esteemed faction leaders and thank you for gathering on such short notice. As most of you are already aware we have Dauntless leader Eric Coulter in custody accused of war crimes. Although Dauntless had previously advocated for his immediate execution, one of their leaders requested he be given a trial and I've made an executive decision to grant that request. This will be an open forum, and any faction leader can ask questions of our prisoner. We only ask that you keep questions on topic and refrain from any personal attacks. Do you have any questions for me before the prisoner is brought in?" Jack Kang announces.

"I do." Marcus Eaton says and Four takes a deep breath. "From what I understand, Eric Coulter's wife is a Dauntless leader. That is a huge conflict of interest in my opinion and my question is why she is even here?"

There are murmurs from within the crowd and it's obvious that many of the leaders were unaware of the marriage between Eric and Tris.

"Marcus, you are correct Tris Coulter is the wife of the accused. She did not have a vote because of this; however she has every right to participate in this forum. I will take a vote at the conclusion of this trial, and as with any other trial in this faction punishment will be decided by the judicial panel. We will randomly select four other leaders to serve with me as part of the panel after testimony concludes." Jack adds. "Do we have any other questions?"

Hearing nothing from the crowd he nods his head towards someone and they proceed to bring Eric in. He's still wearing the clean clothes they allowed him to after his shower, but they've put shackles on his ankles and wrists and they proceed to chain him to a chair that's also bolted to the floor.

He looks over at Tris and they hold eye contact. She's struggling to keep her composure because no matter how strong Eric is trying to act she can see his fear written all over his face.

She mouths the words 'I love you' to him and he mouths them back. Many in the audience notice this but say nothing, instead studying the interactions between the couple.

"We will inject you with truth serum and you will be asked questions by the panel of leaders. We will go around the room as many times as needed until finished. Do you understand?" Jack asks Eric.

"Yes." He replies. They inject him with the serum and he holds Tris' eyes the entire time. She watches as his eyes turn a bit cold and his expression slack.

"I will start the questioning and then pass the floor." Jack says and turns to Eric. "Please state your name."

"Eric Coulter."

"To which faction were you born?" Jack asks.

"Erudite."

"To which faction are you loyal?"

"Dauntless."

"Can you please tell me why you were arrested?"

"I participated in a raid of this faction in search of divergents. I was captured by Dauntless soldiers after being injured during an altercation with Four. I was then brought to Dauntless leadership for execution." Eric replies.

"Dauntless spared your life?" Jacks asks.

"Not by their choice. They had decided to execute me on the spot and Four had his gun pointed at me when my wife jumped in front of me and pleaded for my life."

There are gasps amongst the crowd. This is news to many in attendance who thought that Eric was arrested by Candor.

"To whom are you married?" Jack asks.

"Tris Coulter. Formerly Beatrice Prior."

"How long have you and your wife been together?" Jack asks.

"Eleven months, married for two of those months." Eric replies. It's evident that he enjoys talking about his wife based on his expression.

"When did you join in the plans for the war and genocide?" Jack asks and Eric's face falls.

"I wouldn't call it joining in. I knew about the war, but it wasn't a choice of participating or declining. I was given a direct order by my superior and I followed it." Eric replies.

"What was this order?" Jack asks.

"There were many. First I was to look for evidence of divergents." Eric says. "I was told that divergents were purely evil, they were beings who were beyond control or reprehension. Without proper attention or treatment they were known to go mad and begin killing in their quest to get outside of the wall. I was told the wall was built to keep these evil beings out, and the ones who were inside would stop at nothing to destroy us. I was told they were dangerous and ordered to kill them on the spot."

"Who gave this order?"

"My head leader Maxwell Powell."

"What other orders were you given?" Jack asks.

"I was ordered to administer a serum that I was told would distinguish the divergent from the non-divergent." Eric replies.

"Who gave this order?"

"My head leader Maxwell Powell."

"Any other orders?" Jack asks.

"I was ordered to participate in the war to destroy the divergents. Ultimately, that war was to overthrow the government however it was later explained to me that we were doing so because most of Abnegation was divergent or harboring divergents." Eric explains.

Jack looks towards the crowd and speaks. He allows Amity to ask their questions first, and they had few. Their questions were soft hitting and Eric did well. Johanna seemed almost relieved at his responses.

"Abnegation." Jack says and Marcus stands.

"You wanted to destroy my faction?" He asks.

"No. My orders were to eliminate the divergent population." Eric argues.

"In Dauntless you could plainly see who was divergent from the serum you gave them, and from what I understand you shot the Candor with those discs that put the non-divergent to sleep. How did you differentiate the divergent in Abnegation?" Marcus asks.

Eric is uncomfortable for the first time and it shows. "I didn't have any way to differentiate." He finally replies.

"So, what were your orders when it came to Abnegation?" Marcus asks.

"Shoot to kill." Eric answered quietly.

Marcus' anger is plain to see and his face is red. Andrew Prior places his hand on Marcus' arm and nods once. Surprisingly, Marcus takes his seat and Andrew stands and faces the man he now knows is married to his only daughter.

"Your wife was born in Abnegation, correct?" Andrew asks even though he already knows the answer.

"Yes sir." Eric replies.

"Did she know about your plans?" He asks.

"No sir."

"Why didn't you tell her?" He presses.

"I was ordered to talk to no one about Jeanine's plans." Eric replies.

"Didn't you feel like you could trust your own wife?" Andrew asks.

"Yes sir, I can and do trust my wife implicitly. I didn't want to lose her. You see sir in Dauntless when you are given orders you follow them. You are trained to never question your superiors. I had my orders and I followed them. I had no idea I was being lied to."

"Do you love your wife?" Andrew asks.

"Yes sir, with all of my being."

"Did you marry her to prevent her from testifying against you?"

"No sir. She knew nothing of this. I married her because I love her and I want to spend my life with her." Eric replies.

"Eric, did you want to kill the Abnegation?" Andrew asks.

"No sir."

Andrew looks relieved at the response and he nods to Jack before taking his seat.

"Dauntless." Jack announces and Tori is the first to stand.

"Did you murder people?" She asks coldly.

"Yes. I was ordered to kill any divergent and I did so when commanded." Eric replies.

"Did you take orders from Jeanine Matthews?" She asks.

"Indirectly, yes. Jeanine would tell Max her plan and he would give the Dauntless leadership team the orders."

"How many people did you kill?" Tori spits.

"Six." Eric replies.

"You kept track?" Tori retorts. Four and Tris can tell she didn't mean to ask the question.

"I did. I'll never forget those people."

"Why did you kill them?" Tori asks angrily.

"Because I was told the divergents were the enemy. I was protecting the people I love and our city."

Tori shakes her head. "You are a monster." She spits and Jack jumps in.

"That's enough. Dauntless, anything else?" Jack asks. Four looks at Tris and nods before standing.

"Did you want to kill people?" Four asks.

"I did when I thought I was eliminating the people who were going to try to hurt us." Eric replies.

"Knowing what you do now, would you have killed those people?"

"No." Eric replies and there are murmurs coming from the leaders.

Four decides it's time to get everything on the table. "Did you at any time know that your wife is divergent?"

Tris gasps next to Four and she reaches for his arm. He shakes his head at her and turns his attention to Eric.

"I did not know until yesterday." Eric replies.

"Did Jeanine?" Four fires back.

"Based on conversations I overheard between Max and Jeanine and now knowing that Tris is divergent I believe that Jeanine did know."

"Did you know that Jeanine wanted Tris?" Four asks and Eric struggles against the serum, wincing in pain. He breaks into a sweat.

"Eric, fighting the serum makes it painful. You will need to tell the truth and answer the question." Jack says.

"I found out she wanted her, yes." Eric finally says.

Tris gasps and Tori shoots a look at her that's a mix of sympathy and anger.

"Were you planning on turning Tris over to her?" Four asks.

"No. Never." Eric replies.

"Did you marry her to protect her?"

"I love my wife." Eric replies angrily. "I married her because of love. Of course I wanted to protect her, doesn't every man want to protect the ones they love?"

"Do you feel any guilt?" Four asks.

"Ever since I found out that Jeanine and Max lied to me about everything I feel a tremendous amount of guilt." Eric answers.

"You said you follow orders in Dauntless even when you don't agree with them, right?" Four asks.

"Yes. You know this."

"If Jeanine had ordered you to kill Tris because of her divergence, would you have?"

"No." Eric says.

"Then why did you kill the others that you did?" Four asks. Tris glares at him.

"I followed orders." Eric replies weakly.

"But if it was your wife you would have known the orders were wrong." Four spits and Tris can feel the tears building in her eyes and she tries to scrub them away. "I've got nothing else." Four says before taking his seat.

He doesn't dare look at Tris because he knows what he just did hurt her. He had to say it, because even though Eric feels bad now he had no qualms killing the people he didn't care about. He separated himself from the fact that there was someone out there who did care for these victims.

He also needed to show that Eric does feel regret and realizes now what he did was wrong, even so he's not sure that Tris will understand.

Tris stands up and faces her husband. His stoic expression changes immediately and he can't help the stray tears that fall from his eyes.

"Do you regret what you did?" Tris asks quietly.

"I regret every part of it." He replies.

"Did you understand what you were involved with once you'd received your orders from Max?"

"Not completely. I believed divergents were the enemy and my assignment was to seek and destroy them. I never understood what the war with Abnegation had to do with divergents and even though Jeanine and Max tried to vaguely connect those dots by saying the Abnegation were harboring these divergents I still never quite understood or agreed with their assessments." Eric replies.

"Why didn't you ever question your orders?" Tris knows the answer but she needs the other leaders to hear it.

"You are trained as a soldier to follow the orders of your superiors without question. There is also a fine line between curiosity and accusation. A false accusation against a faction leader is a serious offense and punishable by faction law." He replies.

"So, everyone needs to understand as a Dauntless solider you are trained to follow orders even when you don't agree with them?"

"Yes."

"Even when you don't understand them?"

"Yes." He replies reluctantly.

"I have nothing further." Tris says.

"I love you Tris." Eric says and Jack holds his hand up to silence him.

"I love you too Eric." Tris chokes out before Jack turns his dark eyes towards her and glares.

"Does anyone have further questions of our accused?" Jack asks and Tori stands up.

"Do you think you deserve to die for your crimes?" She asks as she glares at Eric.

"Yes." He answers and a loud gasp passes through the crowd. Tris makes no effort to stop the tears that are pouring down her cheeks and Four faces Tori with a hard expression. She sits back down with a satisfied look on her face.

The room is surprised once again when Andrew Prior stands. "Eric, why should we spare your life?"

Eric takes a deep breath and meets the eyes of his father in law. "I have no reasons for myself. What I did was wrong even though I was misguided, misled and outright lied to by my superiors. I've murdered innocent people, and if allowed to live I will punish myself for that every day for the rest of my life. My life isn't enough for those I've hurt, and I am sorry for what I've done. If anyone is to spare my life it should be because of my wife. She had no idea what I had gotten myself into. She is and always will be the best thing to have happened to me. Marrying her is the one thing in my life that I've done absolutely right. I hate what I've done to her. I'm looking at her right now seeing tears that I know I am the cause of. I see people mistreating her for no other reason besides the fact that she and I are married. She doesn't deserve any of the pain I am causing her. If my life is spared I can and will change, and I will live a life that she will be proud of. I am a better person than what you've seen and I can prove that to you. Don't spare my life because of me, spare it because of her."

Andrew's expression never changes even as his son in law professed his devotion and love to his only daughter. "Do you regret following orders?" He finally asks.

Eric tenses and once again fights against answering the question. Andrew watches as he writhes in pain.

"Answer it!" Andrew shouts, causing many in the courtroom to jump.

"No. I'm a Dauntless soldier and I don't regret being the best one I could be." Eric answers with the pain evident on his face.

"That question was unfair!" Tris shouts and Jack Kang turns his icy expression towards her.

"That question was perfectly fair. You will not be permitted to speak out of turn in my courtroom. This is your only warning." He seethes. "Do we have any other questions?" Jack asks as he scan so over the crowd. "Hearing no other questions, the trial of Eric Coulter has concluded. Please turn your attention to the screen to see which leaders will be participating in the panel." Jack states.

Tris looks up at the screen and the four names appear. Her stomach immediately drops.

"I will need Marcus Eaton, Andrew Prior, Tori Wu and Johanna Reyes please." Jack says. Tori glances back at Tris briefly before making her way to the small office off of the courtroom.

Tris looks at Eric and he nervously watches her from the chair he's shackled to. She longs to go to him but knows it's not allowed. She watches helplessly as they lead him into a holding cell inside the courtroom. Four moves so he's able to face her and she tries to avoid looking at him.

"I had to ask those questions Tris." He says.

"You made it seem like he should have known not follow the orders he did." Tris replies.

"Do you hear yourself? Tris he shouldn't have followed those orders. I don't care what Max and Jeanine beat into his head. If I ordered you right now to kill one of the leaders in this room would you?"

"Stop." She say.

"Would you Tris?" He presses.

"Shut up." She replies.

"Tris..."

"Stop it!" She yells and the room falls silent. One of the guards begins walking towards her and she backs away. "No, I'm sorry, I'll be quiet." She says.

"You're disrupting the court." A guard says as they reach for her arm.

"Let her stay. I'll take responsibility for her. We're in recess while they deliberate anyway." Four replies.

"This is your last chance." He warns and Tris nods. The guards walk away and Tris sits down.

"Leave me alone Tobias." She growls when Four sits down next to her. She feels the tears begin to fall that have threatened her all day.

"Tris, he didn't know about what they were doing. He legitimately was following orders, and you can see that he thought he was doing the right thing. I asked those questions to demonstrate that he now can see the error of his ways. He now knows he shouldn't have followed the orders. It shows he's human and that he realizes he made a mistake." Four explains. "Tris you know Johanna won't vote to execute him, and I don't think Jack or your father will either."

"Will they let me see him?" Tris asks and Four shakes his head no.

"Not until this is done." He replies.

Tris stands up and begins pacing. She starts to walk laps around the courtroom, slowing each time in front of the cell door her husband is locked in. She can't speak to him or touch him but she can at least see him.

Eric watches her pace around the room nervously and he once again chastises himself for putting her through this. He varies between watching the clock and his wife and he nervously begins his own pacing in his cell. Over an hour has passed when a guard finally unlocks his cell door.

"They've reached a decision, back to the chair Coulter." The guard commands as he roughly grabs Eric's arm and chains him down to the chair again. Eric never takes his eyes off of Tris, and he can tell from her red and swollen eyes that she's been crying for most of the hour.

The room quiets when Jack Kang enters with the rest of the judicial panel. Tris searches each face for a sign of what's to come and no one will make any eye contact.

"Eric Coulter you have been charged with conspiring to overthrow the government, murder and war crimes. We have reached a decision and it is not unanimous. The majority vote will decide, and by a vote of three to two it's been decided that the punishment for your crimes will be execution to take place within forty eight hours." Jack announces.

"No!" Tris sobs. "No, you can't kill him, he was following orders. Oh god no. Please." She begs. Four grabs her as she begins to fall to the ground. "Who did this?" She screams.

"Your husband did." Marcus Eaton replies with a sneer.

"I will poll our panel. My vote was no to execution." Jack replies.

"Yes." Tori says confidently.

"Yes." Marcus adds.

"No." Johanna says.

Tris looks at her father in horror as he makes his vote known.

"Yes." Andrew Prior adds without looking at his daughter.

"You're killing my husband!" Tris screams. Four watches the guards come towards them and he picks Tris up and carries her out of the courtroom.

He carries her back to the room he's been sleeping in ever since arriving in Candor and she sobs against his chest as he sits down on the lone chair in the room with her on his lap.

"They're going to kill him." She wails. "Why?"

"I'm so sorry Tris." Four whispers.

"I need to leave. I need to see him." She sobs and he stands up with her.

"I'll take you to him." He says quietly and he picks the hysterical woman up and carries her through the hallways until he reaches the heavy doors of the prison. He kicks at the door until a guard opens it and he ignores the shocked faces of the two guards as he walks back to Eric's cell.

"Unlock it." He commands. Eric is watching him intently with the worry for his wife etched on his face.

A guard unlocks the door and Four walks in, placing the sobbing woman on his cot. He leans down towards her.

"Breathe Tris. You won't be able to stay in here if you don't. You're hyperventilating." Four says quietly. Eric sits down and pulls her to his lap.

"Baby, just take a slow deep breath in." Eric says softly.

"They're going to..." She sobs.

Four turns and looks at the guards. "I have my keys, you can leave now. Thank you."

Both guards nod as they close the cell door behind them. Four leans closer to the couple and Eric glares at him and wraps his arms tighter around his wife.

"Tris, you have to breathe. I can't leave until you've calmed down." Four says quietly.

Tris concentrates on breathing and focuses solely on her husband until her short pants have subsided. She leans against Eric's strong chest and finally looks at Four.

"Get out." She says angrily.

"Tris, please..."

"Get the fuck out now!" She yells. "You're going to kill him in less than two days! Get out! Leave us alone!" Tris screams.

The sound of the guards running down the corridor echoes off of the concrete walls as they stop in front of the cell. Four turns to face them and holds his hands up.

"I'm leaving. They're fine, just emotional." Four says as they unlock the door and allow him to step out.

"Sir, are you sure we should leave her in there?" A guard asks.

"Yes, my original orders stand. She has any and all access to him. Give them space; he's set to be executed in two days." Four says as he leads the guards down the hallway.

He exits the prison and leans against the heavy doors in disbelief. How the fuck was he ever going to be able to look at Tris after participating in the execution of her husband? Once Eric is gone she won't last. She's strong as hell, but Four already knows that she was serious when she said if they executed Eric they should execute her too.

How the hell did he end up giving a shit whether Eric Coulter lived or died?


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone for your patience while I slowly get back into the swing of writing. Been dealing with some stuff personally** **and I've had to essentially start over. Writing took a back seat but I've realized just how much I missed it. So thank you all for being so supportive, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

He grips her hips harder as he thrusts into her, forcing her to tighten her grip on the bars in front of her. They've stopped caring if they can be seen or heard as their animalistic lust for each other has overridden any coherent thought they'd have. Why should he care anyway? He'll be dead in a few hours and if he wants to fuck his wife in every way on every surface of this tiny cell he will. She surely doesn't seem to mind.

He loves every part of the woman in front of him. The way the smattering of freckles on her skin travels down her back all the way to the dimples at the bottom of her spine has always drawn his attention when he takes her from behind. She has a small birthmark on her right shoulder, right below where she has the hands of Abnegation tattooed and he often finds himself pressing his lips to it.

She's ticklish, something he found out the first time he took her this way. He had gripped her hips in a way that caused her to break out in loud squeals and squirm away from him mid thrust, making him worry that he'd done something wrong. Back then Eric didn't have much more sexual experience than Tris, however he'd never had a lover complain and when she shimmied away from him that first time he thought he'd ruined things.

He was wrong.

Tris loved Eric well before she ever said the words. She loved that the tough as nails leader was soft and gentle with her when they were alone. He never coddled her though – if anything he was harder on her and it showed. He had pursued her relentlessly and she never understood why, thinking that he only wanted a quick lay and not anything that resembled the actual relationship they built.

"God baby, you feel so damn good." Eric grunts as he presses his lips against her shoulder.

He slows his pace and swivels his hips against her as she moves with him. There's never been another woman who is so in sync with him, both emotionally and physically. When he first noticed her on the roof that first day he wanted to fuck her. He's a young man with a healthy sexual appetite, and who wouldn't want the beautiful and seemingly innocent girl from Abnegation when she showed up on the roof that day? His pursuit of young Tris Prior started in that fashion – a physical need to deflower the sweet Stiff. Eric soon learned he wanted more from her, so much in fact that it was he who slowed the physical aspects of their relationship and allowed himself to be open and vulnerable for the first time in his adult life, taking his time to get to know the mysterious young woman from Abnegation.

"I love you so much…" She says in an almost whisper.

"I love you too." He whispers back before trailing open mouth kisses along her neck and shoulders.

He knows if he doesn't slow down the pace he's going to lose control and he wants this intimate moment to last as long as possible. Tris' reluctance to make love to him in his open cell died within the first hour of Four leaving her here after the court's decision was announced, and they've spent most of their time together either talking, crying or having sex.

Mostly having sex.

Tris wants a baby, something that will always keep a part of Eric with her. She won't acknowledge that it's something to remember him by because she refuses to believe he will be executed. She's plotting and planning an elaborate escape plan, but if she could think properly she'd admit that it will never work. She will do absolutely anything to keep her husband alive and the scenarios she's discussed with Eric have done nothing more than frustrate the young couple.

Eric pulls his wife's hair until her back is flush with his chest and he finally can no longer hold in his own release when he feels her walls pulsing around him. He slumps against her, pressing her against the bars of his cell as he kisses her deeply. Once they've caught their breath they quickly get dressed before crawling into his small cot. The two hold on to each other while sharing kisses before Eric breaks the silence.

"I don't want it to be Four." He grumbles in his deep voice.

"What are you talking about?" Tris asks.

"I know the two of you have history, but I don't like him Tris. I can't imagine him raising a child of mine, if we could make it happen you know?" Eric replies.

"Eric…" Tris begins but he interrupts.

"The thing is I just want you to be happy baby. I want you to find someone who treats you the way you deserve. I want it to be someone who is emotionally stronger than I was…."

"Eric!" she shouts. "There is _no one else_ for me out there. You are it for me, and when we get you out of this place you and I will raise our children together and live a long and happy life."

"Baby, I'm not getting out of here alive." Eric begins but Tris cuts him off.

"Yes you are!" She shouts.

"Tris, please…." He says but he can tell by the fiery look in his wife's eyes that his words will mean absolutely nothing to her. Instead, he grabs her face and pulls her to him, kissing her almost violently as they begin removing their clothes once again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Four walks down the long hallway hearing nothing but the echo of his boots off the concrete floor and walls. For a split second it feels like he's back in Dauntless, where the cold and dark caverns echoed with the heavy footfalls of the boot clad soldiers, along with the yells and laughter of their faction. Times were so much simpler a few short months ago; he was content with his work in the control room and with being an instructor for the new initiates. When he saw that blur of Abnegation grey falling through the hole on the roof he was happy – he thought he may actually have a chance of having his Beatrice back.

Back in Abnegation, the puppy love between Tobias and Beatrice became the talk of the faction. Both children of prominent leaders, it was expected that their courting would turn into marriage and the perfect Abnegation family. The obvious intelligence that both exhibited showed great promise, however only Tobias would have been allowed to follow in his father's footsteps and be part of their government as the women in Abnegation were conditioned to take on the roles of motherhood, homemaking and volunteering. It was absolutely unheard of for a woman to do what was considered a man's work.

Tobias had wanted to stay in Abnegation and become part of the government. While him and his father Marcus didn't particularly get along well, Tobias felt that he could and would be taken more seriously if he were to work side by side with the man in the government. He'd already began laying the prep work for his transition from Abnegation dependent to leader-in-training, and he often shadowed both his own father and Andrew Prior to learn the ins and outs. Tobias loved Beatrice deeply, and when it became painfully obvious that she would never stay in Abnegation the two began to discuss where they would settle down. The two eventually agreed to defect to Dauntless, with Tobias leaving first. His training was difficult, both physically and emotionally with his separation from Beatrice weighing heavily on his mind. He wasn't sure he was meant to be in Dauntless, and it wasn't until he was forced to face his fears his second day in the compound that he began to believe that maybe Dauntless could be the right fit for him. His four fears were unheard of, and it earned him a much more respectable nickname than the slur "Stiff" that kept getting hurled at him from the other initiates, and soon no one remembered he was Tobias Eaton. He became Four, and he would go down in history as a Dauntless prodigy.

Four began to leave the compound to train Beatrice as soon as he was able to, and he flourished in the stolen moments he had with his girlfriend. She was becoming something amazing on her own; physically she was beautiful with her long sun streaked hair and fierce hazel eyes. Her body showed all of the hard work she put in with their training, and she looked nothing like the typical meek Abnegation girl. For as close as the couple always was in the past, Four could feel her pulling away from him and he knew it was inevitable that she would end things. He clung to her as part of his past and the home he missed, and she looked at him and saw the person she wanted to be in the faction of her future. When she broke up with him it wasn't unexpected, but it hurt like hell nonetheless. Four put all of his focus into his own work and physical training in Dauntless and he became more intense than ever before.

That blur of grey bouncing on the net was no more his Beatrice than she had been six months prior when she ended their relationship. She announced her new name was Tris, and she then took her place with the other transfers while holding her head up high. She excelled in initiation, more so than he thought would have been possible even with their secret training sessions prior to her transfer. He quietly pursued her, being careful to never push too hard, never knowing that her heart completely belonged to someone else. And not just anyone, but his sworn enemy and obvious Erudite plant Eric Coulter.

When Tris threw herself in front of the gun he had pointed at Eric he completely panicked. This was a woman who he had previously loved, and probably still did, and she was willing to die for a man whose hands were covered in the blood of the very people who were divergent just like them. He would have never guessed that Tris and Eric were involved, and he certainly wouldn't have thought they'd actually be married and when Jack Kang shared that news with him he could almost feel his heart breaking in two. He had convinced himself that he was over Tris, but dealing with the one-two punch of learning of her involvement with Eric _and_ being married to him was enough to potentially push him over the edge. He went over every possible scenario in his mind, finally deciding that Eric was holding something over her to force her cooperation. It wasn't until he watched the two interact after Eric was imprisoned that he realized she held the power over Eric, and that the way she looked at Eric was completely different than she had ever looked at him.

Nothing has prepared him for this moment where he is walking to the prison to retrieve the man he is scheduled to execute. He opens the heavy doors leading to the prison and he sees more guard presence than what's ever been onsite since Eric's incarceration. He scans the small group and he finds a man whom he recognizes as the director of security for Candor, and Four immediately realizes something serious must have happened.

"Why are you here Terrence?" Four asks.

"Just a warning, it's been a bad day for them. We had to step in and physically remove her." The older dark skinned man says as he runs his hand across his bald head.

"What do you mean?" Four asks. The other man trains his dark brown eyes on the young Dauntless leader and scowls. "Terrence, tell me what happened." Four prods.

"They've been pretty emotional, and we've made every effort to give them their time and space, especially for the more private moments if you catch my drift. But, we had to step in this morning. They were screaming at each other and it got physical…."

"That mother fucker put his hands on her?" Four rages and Terrence has to step in front of him to keep him from storming past towards Eric's cell.

"No sir, not at all, she was assaulting him. He just stood there and took it." Terrence answers.

Four gapes at the other man. "Where is she now?"

"Had to sedate her and they took her to the clinic. She'll be out for a while." He replies while looking apologetically at Four.

"Fuck!" Four yells causing all of the guards to look at him. Terrence holds his hand up in a gesture for his men to keep their distance. "I'm here to pick up her husband for his execution and she's going to wake up to him being dead! What the hell were you thinking?" He screams.

"Sir, we had to do what was necessary to protect ourselves and the young lady as well. She was hysterical, and she was endangering my men, herself and our prisoner as well." Terrence answers evenly. "See for yourself." He gestures his head back towards the long corridor where Eric's cell is.

Four makes his way down the hallway, once again listening to the thud of his boots against the concrete. When he reaches Eric's cell the other man is pacing relentlessly back and forth. Four notices the fresh bruising on his face and the split near the dermal piercings in his eyebrow.

"Is she ok? Where'd they take her?" Eric asks worriedly.

"I haven't seen her, but they said she's sedated in the infirmary." Four replies as he unlocks the cell and steps inside.

"Why are you here then? Go check on her!" Eric roars but Four puts a hand up in a silencing gesture.

"I'm here for you. Tori is going to be here soon too. It's time Eric." Four replies.

Eric's face falls and for the first time Four sees that the mask is completely gone. "Tris…" He whispers.

"What happened between you two?" Four asks.

"She's angry. She was trying to talk to me about an escape plan but she wouldn't listen to reason. There's no getting out of this." His shoulders heave as he takes a deep breath in and releases it. "I did this. I'm guilty of killing people. She got upset because she feels like I'm giving up. What choice do I have? You're not here for a social call; you're here to lead me to my death. What the fuck does she think will happen?" He shakes his head again before continuing. "I need to be able to say goodbye to her Four."

"I'll see what I can do." Four replies with a nod and he walks away from the cell.

He walks back to the guard station where he once again finds Terrence issuing orders to his staff. He glances Four's way and makes his way over.

"Something wrong?" He inquires.

"I need Tris Coulter brought back in. He's due to be executed in an hour and they need time to say goodbye." Four replies.

"Sir, that won't be possible. She was sent over to the main hospital in Erudite." Terrence offers and Four cuts him off.

"Why the fuck would she be sent to Erudite? You said she wasn't injured!" Four shouts at the other man.

"She was not injured in the fight, and they wouldn't tell me anything about her condition. I called up to the clinic as soon as you went back to Coulter's cell and all they would tell me is her condition required an immediate transfer to the main hospital."

"Fuck!" Four shouts. There's no way he can execute Eric without Tris having had the chance to say her goodbyes. He looks back at Terrence. "I need to find Jack and try to postpone his execution. Terrence, I don't want to place you in the middle but I don't have much choice, can you please contact me immediately if _anyone_ comes to see him or attempts to retrieve him? Under no circumstances are they to take him without my knowledge, is that understood?"

"Sir, but he is scheduled for execution…"

"Terrence, he is a Dauntless prisoner, and two of my factions three leaders are against this execution taking place before we can be in attendance. There is only one other Dauntless leader and she will be overridden. Do I make myself clear?" Four asks in a firm but respectful tone.

"Yes sir." Terrence replies with the same respectful tone. The two men shake hands before Four once again makes the trip through the many corridors leading to Jack Kang's office.

His assistant waves him in and he quickly enters the Candor leader's large office. Jack looks pensive as he gestures for the young Dauntless leader to take a seat in front of his expansive cherry desk.

"I take it you were made aware of the skirmish between the Coulters this morning." Jack offers and he watches as Four nods his head. "We didn't have much of a choice other than to sedate her and remove her. She'd become violent towards my staff and towards your prisoner as well."

"Jack, I need to postpone this execution. She needs to be here for it." Four says and Jack narrows his eyes and frowns.

"Four, we absolutely cannot postpone an execution because of next of kin. You know this, and just because Tris is a fellow leader doesn't mean she gets special privileges. She knew what today was when she decided her lapse of judgment was more important than spending her final moments with her husband." Jack replies.

"Jack, please can't you reconsider…."

"No. I'm very sorry Four, but the people have been waiting for this execution to take place. I'm not going to show Eric any special treatment, no matter what my personal feelings are towards the court's decision." He replies.

Four takes a deep breath. "I understand." He says quietly.

Jack and Four sit in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes before Jack breaks it. "Have there been any new developments regarding Jeanine and her whereabouts?" He asks.

"From what we've uncovered, it appears Jeanine and Max are hiding somewhere between Amity and the fence. They seem to be trying to make it outside, but we have the fence heavily guarded." He replies.

"I've often wondered what is out there." Jack muses quietly. "I do know that whatever it is, all of the crimes would be forgotten. It's a perfect place to begin again."

Four nods his head in agreement. "While it would certainly make for a fresh start, there's no telling what's out there to begin with. The fence was obviously built for a reason."

Jack trains his dark eyes on Four. "Indeed." He agrees with a nod.

"I need to take care of my prisoner." Four replies as he stands. Jack stands from across the desk and reaches his hand out to Four. The younger man regards it warily.

"You're doing what you have to do as a leader. Your faction depends on your ability to separate personal feelings and beliefs from what the law calls for." Jack says. Four takes his extended hand and shakes it.

"I won't let them down." Four finally says and Jack smiles at him before dropping his hand. Four leaves the office and stops in the hallway to use his phone. He has to at least try to check on Tris.

After several transferred calls and many threats on Four's part he is finally patched through to the doctor taking care of her. An irritable voice picks up the line.

"This is Dr. Benoit." He barks.

"Yes, I am calling to check on the condition of Tris Coulter…."

"And we can only speak to her next of kin." The doctor interrupts angrily. "We've already told you people this."

"I am her next of kin." Four bites back.

"I was told her next of kin was scheduled for execution today." The doctor replies angrily.

"They haven't killed me yet, what is going on with my wife?" Four responds.

"How dare you?" The doctor spits angrily. "You go around killing innocent people and you impregnate this young woman knowing you'd either get her or yourself killed in this despicable war you helped create? You disgust me. Don't call here again…"

"Please, don't hang up." Four pleads. "She's pregnant?"

"Of course she is she's almost eleven weeks. You must have known she was in this condition when you started your filthy war!" He shouts.

"We didn't know." Four whispers into his phone. He begins pacing in the hallway and running his free hand through his messy dark hair. There's no way that Tris knew, she'd have never gone out in combat with Four willingly had she known. No matter how deep his hatred for Eric has run, he also doesn't believe that Eric knew of his wife's condition.

"Well you know now. I hope you think about this when they kill you today. You remember the young wife whose life you have ruined and the child you'll never know." The doctor replies.

"The baby, is it ok?" Four stutters.

"We believe it will be fine. The sedative used on Tris isn't typically used on pregnant women so we will continue to monitor her; however everything appears to be fine." He replies tersely.

"Can she be released? The execution…" Four begins and the doctor interrupts.

"She will not be permitted to attend. She is in no condition to watch you die for your mistakes. You don't deserve her." He spits.

"Thank you for taking care of her. She'll be released into the care of Four Eaton once this is over." He replies.

"A much better man for the job, and I will note her records and list him as her next of kin." The doctor replies before slamming the phone down.

Four looks at the time and realizes he has less than forty minutes before the execution is scheduled. He rushes back towards the prison, operating on auto pilot until he finds himself unlocking Eric's cell door again.

"Is she ok? Where is she now?" Eric asks as he presses himself against the bars of his cell and peers down the empty hallway.

"Erudite. They won't release her for the execution. I'm sorry." Four answers in a quiet tone. Eric turns and stares at Four with his steel grey eyes.

"The last words I said to her were for her to calm the fuck down. I can't…" Eric's voice tapers off.

Four watches as the other man sits down on his cot and holds his head in his own hands. The palpable hatred he's felt for Eric Coulter for over two years is fading fast, even knowing that he killed mercilessly he understands that the former leader was following instructions because that's what you're expected to do.

That's what's now expected of him.

"Eric, there's something you should know." Four says and Eric picks up his head and stares at him. "Tris is pregnant. Almost eleven weeks according to her doctor."

"Wait, what?" Eric asks with widened eyes.

"I take it neither of you knew." Four states.

"No, of course I didn't know, I'd never have left her fucking side if I'd known. Jesus Christ, she's having my baby, fuck I'm never going to know my own child… fuck!" He shouts before darting off the cot and punching the wall making Four jump.

Four grabs Eric's fists and pushes him away. "Stop." He says firmly and Eric glares at him. "You're going to break your fucking hands." He warns.

Eric laughs manically. "Why do you care? In just a few minutes you're going to put a fucking bullet between my eyes." His grey eyes are hard when he stares into Four's. Four narrows the space between them and the two are soon almost chest to chest.

"I care because I am going to save your fucking life." Four growls in a low tone and he watches the disbelief overtake the anger in the other man's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you all for your patience with me. I am suffering from some pretty severe writers block and I'm trying to work past it. Your follows, reviews and love motivate me, so thank you all.**

Four listens closely to the instructions Jack provides his guards as he tries to keep the fear that's bubbling inside of him from making an outward appearance. He watches everyone in the room and knows that whatever he has to do to get Eric out of here alive isn't going to be pretty. He has no plan, and he never imagined walking into the cell and telling the other man he was going to save his life. There's a part of him that's doing this for Tris because he still cares for her. He can try to tell himself that's the only reason - Tris and her unborn baby - but it's not. Eric was merely carrying out orders, and it's obvious to Four that Eric neither agreed with or understood why he was doing the things he was doing. He was killing those he was told were a threat to the faction he loves.

The people he loves.

If Four were to carry out the orders to execute Eric it would be more of the same, and if nothing else watching Eric go through his trial and incarceration has taught Four that sometimes you have to go against the orders that you don't agree with. He may not like Eric on a personal level, but he now knows with certainty that Eric shouldn't die for following the orders he was led to believe were the right things to do.

"Think Tobias." He whispers quietly as he paces in the back of the room behind the group. He has a prisoner he has to get out of the city, along with Tris who's being held in the hospital in Erudite.

"Bringing an escaped prisoner into Erudite, really Tobias?" He thinks to himself.

"You ready for this?" Tori asks, bringing him out of his internal monologue. It's then that he notices that Tori and he are the only two people left in the room.

"Yeah. We shoot, we kill. Not rocket science." He replies gruffly.

"What's your problem?" She hisses at him.

"This whole situation." He tries unsuccessfully to mask his anger and Tori's eyes widen. "It's bullshit."

"How is any of this bullshit Four? He participated in planning a war, he killed innocent people and he deserves to pay for his crimes!" Tori replies angrily.

"He knew nothing about Jeanine's actual plans Tori. Absolutely nothing! He received orders and he followed them not knowing any better. He thought he was protecting Dauntless. You killed innocent people Tori! We all did. I want Jeanine and Max to pay for their sins as much as anyone else does, but do you think killing Eric is the answer? We're killing a Dauntless soldier who was doing exactly what we were trained to do." Four  
replies.

Tori squeezes her eyes shut and rubs her temples. "You wouldn't be defending him so staunchly if Tris wasn't involved with him." She accuses.

"I've thought about that same thing, but it's not as black and white as you think. Tris' involvement with him does strike a nerve, but it's more because I know her well enough to know she's an excellent judge of character. She married him Tori and to me that means that she saw something in him that maybe we've been blind to because of his arrogance. I can't stand his holier than thou attitude, but it's not a reason to kill him." Four argues.

Tori stares blank faced at Four, her emotions steeled from the years of practice she's had being in Dauntless. She's watched Jeanine's group closely for years after they killed her brother and made it look like a suicide. Tori trusts no one with ties to Erudite, her own home faction, but especially not Eric Coulter. She's watched the clandestine meetings he's had with Jeanine and she believes wholeheartedly in his guilt even though his responses under truth serum suggested he wasn't as involved as anyone initially thought.

"Am I being too hard on him?" She asks herself.

Growing up in Erudite isn't easy, and for other factions the Erudite dependents are looked at as nothing more than robots. Love is something that is almost frowned upon, instead of it being treated as a naturally occurring emotion it's almost considered a weakness. Emotions aren't something that can be scientifically proven or disproven, therefore 'following your heart' isn't something that could ever be viewed as normal in an Erudite  
household.

In Erudite, normal consists of learning. You learn as much as you can about everything. You research topics, you prove or disprove thesises and ideas and you live you life in the pursuit of knowledge.

Divergents, especially in Erudite, weren't normal.

It was obvious early on to Tori that her brother George was anything but what Erudite considered normal. He questioned everyone and everything, constantly challenging both of their parents and causing trouble in school with his curious and defiant nature. Tori knew just from his physical strength and his outlandish behavior that he was destined to go to Dauntless, but she had no idea that he received anything other than a Dauntless result on his aptitude test.

George's four aptitude results put him directly on Erudite's radar. He thrived in his years in Dauntless, but his refusal to conform to Erudite's constant meddling and demands of his new faction was wearing at their second in command, a young power hungry woman named Jeanine Matthews. The mysterious disappearance of her predecessor, a middle aged man named Benjamin Theroux, paved the way for her to enter into a temporary head leadership role without any of the usual pomp and circumstance of a formal election. When Benjamin was ultimately declared dead, she officially became the head leader of Erudite. While her predecessor may have been wary of the Divergent, Jeanine was completely obsessed with their elimination and she made it her top priority to rid their city of any divergents they came across.

George Wu was her first victim. Erudite staged the entire incident as a suicide, and Tori's arguments against this assessment fell on deaf ears. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her brother wouldn't commit suicide, and they'd had many conversations about his concerns over Erudite's growing presence in Dauntless, specifically Jeanine Matthews and her incessant visits with Dauntless' head leader Max. Tori pleaded with Max to investigate George's death as a homicide and his flat out refusal to so much as even consider anything other than a suicide spoke volumes to Tori. She knew then that not only was her head leader involved in whatever Jeanine's plans were, but his  
involvement was deep.

"He killed the divergent Four. Are you honestly ok with that?" Tori argues.

"No, of course I'm not. He trusted Max and Jeanine though, and they told him that the divergent were a threat. He eliminated a threat per his orders."

"Orders he never questioned!" Tori hisses.

Tori followed her beloved brother to Dauntless and their sibling bond was stronger than ever. George had been at the top of his training class, a feat that was rarely awarded to a female initiate but Tori was determined to change that. The competitive nature she shared with her brother caused her to train harder, and when she came in first in her class there was no one prouder than George. Both Tori and George had wanted to be a part of leadership, but at the time they were told there were no positions available.  
Neither knew that keeping the Wu's out of leadership was a direct order of Jeanine Matthews, who had her own secret plans to develop a thirteen year old dependent named Eric Coulter into the perfect Dauntless leader.

"He's guilty of being a mind controlled drone then." Four replies, surprising even him since he's had a hard time wrapping his head around that explanation when Tris offered it previously.

"What do you want me to do Four? Agree with you just so you don't feel as guilty when we pull the trigger on him?" Tori asks with a sigh.

"Do you think he deserves to die?" Four challenges.

"So many people died in Abnegation. They wiped out almost the entire faction!" Tori argues.

"Jeanine and Max did that." Four retorts.

"But he knew…"

"He _didn't know!_ You heard his testimony Tori, he didn't even know. He knew only what he was told." Four replies exasperatedly. "Tori, I know this is about George, and I'm so  
fucking sorry you lost your brother the way you did. No one deserves that. Eric  
had no idea. You tell me if someone you trusted came to you and explained that these  
people, who obviously don't fit into the mold we've been conditioned to believe is normal our whole lives, were put here with the sole purpose of destroying our city you wouldn't want to fight? Think about it."

Tori sits down on the long table inside the conference room that they were left alone in. She closes her eyes and rubs her temples to ward off the headache she feels coming on from the absurd amount of stress she's under. She can't speak for Four, but her intuition tells her he's just as frustrated with being thrown into leadership as she is. The war has painted their faction unfavorably, and the rest of the city has put on added pressure  
for the surviving Dauntless to prove their loyalty to the city and their established government and faction system. If she had of voted against Eric's execution she knows she would have appeared sympathetic to Jeanine's cause, which is a result of the rampant mistrust of the Dauntless even though it's been proven that most acted under the mind control serum.

"Why would you defend his actions?" Tori finally asks. The doubt she has creeping in her mind is making her crazy at this point, and all she needs is to hear an explanation from Four that could possibly quell her own doubts.

"I don't like Eric any more than you do, in fact our history may even influence me to like him even less. I can't base a life or death decision on my personal feelings towards the man. I think he was manipulated into believing the divergent are something they're not, and he acted accordingly. He followed orders." Four replies.

Tori stares hard at the young man in front of her. They are the only two Dauntless leaders who were allowed votes about Eric's fate, and that was due to the surprise news that Jack sprang on them before their voteMwas allowed to be cast. Tori recalls the look on Four's face when he heard that the young woman he obviously cares a great deal about is married to a man who is probably as close to a sworn enemy as one can get.

"So this isn't about Tris?" She asks.

Four stops his pacing and turns to face Tori. He can tell he's already started to crack her resolve, and he knows ultimately it'd be much easier to get Eric out of Candor if he has her on his side.

"I care about her but I'd never put someone I felt was a danger to society back out on the street just to avoid breaking her heart." Four replies carefully.

"There's something you're not telling me." Tori retorts.

"She's pregnant. Almost three months and she just found out after her scuffle with Eric caused her to be sedated. Honestly, I don't know if she even knows yet since she had yet to wake up. She's stuck in Erudite now and her doctor refuses to release her for the execution. He'll die before she can say goodbye to him." Four replies.

"He didn't know?" Tori asks quietly.

"No. I told him today after I pretended to be him on the phone to get information about her condition from the doctor. He had no idea."

A knock on the door causes Tori to jump and they both turn as Jack Kang walks in and closes the door behind him.

"We have him prepared; I can send whomever you'd like to escort him to the execution chamber." Jack says in his usual stoic manner.

"Four and I will be escorting him." Tori replies. Four masks his surprise at her answer, since the last conversation they'd had she was adamant she didn't want to see Eric until she had a gun to point at him.

"Very well, I'll have two of our guards added to the escort team as well." Jack offers and Tori shakes her head.

"That's not necessary, we can handle him. Could you just make sure we have adequate guard presence in the execution chamber?" Tori asks.

Jack looks between Tori and Four and nods. "We will ensure the chamber is sufficiently guarded. As a matter of fact, most of the route from the prison to the chamber has guard presence except the hallway that leads to the prison kitchen. I've been meaning to talk to Terrence about that."

Four takes a shallow breath in and holds it, waiting for Jack to elaborate on his strange response.

"The kitchen opens out to the loading dock for Amity to bring in food supplies. Since it's really only Amity coming and going besides our staff, we really haven't given much thought to securing things more than they already are. The door needs a badge to open anyway, so it would be an effort for someone to use it." Jack laments. Tori and Four both find the conversation odd, however neither mentions it.

"Well, that type of security seems sufficient." Four finally remarks and Jack nods.

"My thoughts exactly. I'll let the team know to report to the chamber." He replies. He nods his head once towards Tori and Four before turning on his heels and opening the door.

They both notice something drop from his hand on his way out and Four picks up the card from the floor. He looks over it and notices it's one of the security badges he's seen the guards use repeatedly in his visits to and from the prison.

"I should take that to him…" Tori says and Four shakes his head.

"He doesn't think he should be executed either Tori." Four says.

Both Tori and Four know this is the point of no return. The two stare at each other without speaking until Tori finally breaks the uncomfortable silence in the room.

"If we do this we become criminals. Is that something you're willing to live with?" She asks.

"It's a man's life. If we let him die his blood is on our hands. Is that something _you're_ willing to live with?" He retorts and she shakes her head.

"I was wrong about him. I may not like him but he doesn't deserve to die for what happened. We all wanted someone to blame, and he's all we had in front of us. I was caught up in the moment Four. I'm angry about this war, I'm angry that our faction's reputation has been ruined and our names are smeared through the mud with the traitors. I was afraid if I showed him any sympathy that I'd be looked at as another traitor. I was more worried about what they'd think of me than doing what was right." She finishes with a sigh and Four watches her shoulders sag.

"We have the chance to do the right thing now." He replies.

"Let's go." Tori says and she leads the way out of the conference room.

The walk to the prison is eerily quiet and the corridors are mostly empty. For as anticipated at this execution seems to have been the two Dauntless leaders are surprised at the relative silence they are met with. Four is once again concentrating on the sound of his footsteps echoing off the walls.

"Am I too late?" A tear choked voice calls out from behind them.

Four and Tori turn to face the extremely emotional Tris and take in her appearance, noticing the hastily wrapped bloody gauze around her hand indicating she ripped her own IV out and left without medical attention.

"Tris, what are you doing here?" Four asks.

"Eric… he's my husband… my everything… is he…?" Tris croaks between sobs.

"Hey, it's ok, he's still alive." Four says gently as he pulls her closer to him. He picks up her bandaged hand and scowls at her. "Did you even talk to the hospital staff before leaving?"

Tris shakes her head and sighs. "Take me to him, please."

"Did the doctors talk to you at all about your condition?" Four asks carefully as they walk towards Eric's cell.

"What, the overly dramatic sedation they had to give me because I was such a threat…" She huffs.

"No, your condition Tris, the reason they moved you from the clinic here to the hospital in Erudite." Tori pipes in and Tris glares at her.

"Why are you even talking to me? You voted to kill my husband and now suddenly we're friends again Tori?" Tris spits.

"Tris, we don't have a lot of time, so cut it out. Tori is on our side." Four says while glancing at the older woman. She nods her head slightly.

"We're doing this?" Tris whispers.

"We are. Listen carefully to me though Tris. You are pregnant, almost three months according to the doctor I spoke with and you have to be extremely careful in everything you do from here out, do you understand?" Four asks.

Tris stops walking and stares at Four. How could she have been almost three months pregnant and not known? She and Eric weren't exactly careful since getting married, they'd come to a mutual decision to try to have a baby early on in their relationship but also decided to wait until Tris was a member to really try. However, both being passionate people and having 'in the moment' type personalities they often made love without protection. Since this was began Tris has put herself in one dangerous situation after another, more so once she learned of her husbands involvement. She stopped at nothing to protect Eric, but she realizes that her actions could have cost her unborn child's life.

"I didn't know…." She whispers in a vacant tone of voice.

"I didn't think you did." Four replies. He can see the distress on Tris' face so he softens his tone before speaking again. "You're fine, the baby is fine. Quit worrying. We need you on your a-game Tris."

She nods and follows as Four and Tori lead her to Eric's cell. They are surprised to find only one person manning the duty desk, and he simply nods towards the door as they  
approach. The walk to Eric's cell is quiet, with nothing more than the sounds  
of their own breathing accompanying their footfalls.

Eric is waiting by his cell door as the three approach him. "Tris." He whispers as he reaches for his wife through the bars.

"Hey." She says softly to him and they grasp each other's hands while Tori unlocks the cell door. "I love you."

As soon as the door is opened Eric rushes out and pulls Tris to his arms. Tori and Four step back and give the couple as much time as they can, watching silently as the two whisper to each other.

"I'm so sorry." Tris says softly to Eric as he wraps his arms tightly around her small frame.

"So am I." He hoarsely replies. "Tris, I didn't know about the baby…"

"Neither did I." She interrupts and leans back slightly. "If I had of known I'd have never…" She trails off and Eric lifts her chin so they are looking into each other's eyes.

"I wouldn't have either." He replies.

"We need to go." Tori warns and Eric eyes her warily.

"She's on our side." Four interjects and Eric arches his eyebrows. "I don't have time to explain."

Four and Tori surround Eric and cuff his hands in front of him. When they try to lead him away he hesitates.

Eric knows that the three people in front of him have cooked up some sort of plan to get him away from Candor, but deep inside he knows the chances of him making it out alive are slim to none. He turns his eyes away from his wife and looks over at Four.

"I need to talk to you." He says gruffly and the other man nods and walks away from the women.

"We don't have a lot of time…" Four begins but Eric interjects.

"Make sure she lives." Eric says.

Four draws in a sharp breath. "We will all live."

"There will be people gunning for me, you know this as well as I do. Protect my wife and baby. If something happens to me…"

This time Four interrupts the other man. "Nothing is going to happen."

"If something does you take care of them. If you don't want to do it for me do it for her. She never asked for any of this." Eric whispers.

"No, she didn't." Four agrees. He stares hard at his former leader before speaking again. "You want me to take care of her? Why me?"

Eric looks at the other man for a moment before shutting his eyes and rubbing them with the heel of his palms. He and Four aren't friends and he's still not one hundred percent sure why the other man decided to help him. The only thing he's certain about is the way Four still feels about Tris.

"There's no one I'd trust my wife or child with. There's no one in this city, or even on this fucking planet that loves that woman more than I do. However, you care for her more than anyone else and I believe you'd lay your own life down if it meant saving hers." Eric explains.

"I would." Four agrees quietly.

"Promise me." Eric says again, every word laced with the raw emotions he's unable to hide in regards to his wife and unborn child.

"You have my word." Four says. He offers his hand and the other man shakes it firmly.

Eric nods. "Thanks, for everything."

"Just get out of here alive and you can thank me then." Four replies with a smirk.

"We have to go." Tori says quietly as she approaches the two men. Eric nods at her before walking towards his wife.

"Tris." He says and she steps in front of her husband. "No matter what happens I need you to know I love you."

"I love you too." She says before kissing him gently. The two look at each other for a few stolen moments before steeling themselves and walking out the cell door.


End file.
